Hope Lions Hear From Santiago Family About 2 Year Old’s Cancer Journey

The Hope Lions Club heard from Marcos & Breanna Santiago on Monday (3-10).  Marco Santiago told about 2 year-old Damian (shown here with his parents) and his experiences since being diagnosed with cancer.  Damien has a brain tumor and was diagnosed in February 2024. Marco said Damian began having problems when he was six-months old losing weight.  He was originally diagnosed with “failure to thrive” in late 2023.  Arkansas Children’s Hospital worked on getting Damian’s weight up.  After going home, Damian had COVID followed by the flu.  After recovering from these issues, Damian had trouble keeping any food on his stomach.  This brought about another visit to children’s and he was diagnosed with the cancer.  Marco gave the club details on Damian’s treatment.  Damian was very active at the meeting and seems to be tolerating treatment well.

Lion Janet Choate surprised the Santiago family with a $1,000 check from the Lions to help the family with their medical expenses.